1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image recording device which fixes an image, which is formed using color ink, on a recording medium by curing a photo curable color ink which is discharged onto the recording medium using light irradiation, and in particular, relates to an image recording device which discharges transparent ink onto the image which is formed using color ink.
2. Background Technology
A printer is described in Patent Document 1 which transports the recording medium (film), which is wrapped around a platen drum, in a circumferential direction of the platen drum and which records the image on a front surface of the recording medium. A plurality of color ink heads which each discharge color inks such as black, yellow, magenta, and cyan are lined up in the printer in the circumferential direction of the platen drum. Furthermore, a color image is formed by the color ink heads discharging color ink onto the recording medium which is supported and transported by the platen drum. In addition, a clear ink head which discharges clear ink is disposed more to a downstream side in a transport direction of the recording medium than the color ink heads. The clear ink head is mainly for discharging the clear ink to overlap the color image in order to coat the color image.
In addition, ultraviolet ray curing ink, which is cured by irradiation of ultraviolet rays, is used in the printer as the color ink and the clear ink. Then, the ink which is discharged onto the recording medium is fixed onto the recording medium by curing using irradiation of ultraviolet rays. Here, the curing of the ink is gradually executed by changing the strength of the ultraviolet rays. Specifically, an ultraviolet light which irradiates relatively weak ultraviolet rays is disposed between each of the heads which are adjacent in the transmission direction of the recording medium. That is, the ultraviolet light is a weak ultraviolet light where relatively weak ultraviolet rays are irradiated onto the ink which is discharged onto the recording medium by the heads at an upstream side in the transport direction of the recording medium. On the other hand, an ultraviolet light which irradiates relatively strong ultraviolet is disposed more on the downstream side in the transport direction of the recording medium than the clear ink head. That is, the ultraviolet light is a strong ultraviolet light where relatively strong ultraviolet rays are irradiated onto the ink which color and clear ink heads have discharged onto the recording medium. In such a configuration, the ink which is discharged onto the recording medium is completely cured by receiving strong ultraviolet rays from the strong ultraviolet light, after a certain degree of curing by receiving weak ultraviolet from the weak ultraviolet light.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2011-067964 (Patent Document 1) is an example of the related art.